Asymmetric synthesis of a diastereomer of the structure proposed for amphidinolide A and the determination of its absolute configuration

Ester coupling reactions – an enduring challenge in the chemical synthesis of bioactive natural products

In this review we investigate the use of complex ester fragment couplings within natural product total syntheses. Using examples from the literature up to 2014 we illustrate the state-of-the-art as well as the challenges within this area of organic synthesis.

Bioactive macrolides and polyketides from marine dinoflagellates of the genus Amphidinium

Marine microorganisms such as bacteria, cyanobacteria, dinoflagellates, and others have attracted many natural product chemists as the real producers of marine toxins such as fish and algal poisons as well as bioactive substances isolated from marine invertebrates such as sponges and tunicates. Among marine microorganisms, dinoflagellates have proved to be important sources of marine toxins and have been investigated worldwide by natural product chemists. We have continued investigations on chemically interesting and biologically significant secondary metabolites from Amphidinium spp., of a genus of symbiotic marine dinoflagellates separated from inside cells of Okinawan marine flatworms. This review covers the results described in our recent publications on a series of cytotoxic macrolides, designated amphidinolides, and long-chain polyketides isolated from Amphidinium spp. In this review, topics include the isolation, structure elucidation, synthesis, biosynthesis, and bioactivity of amphidinolides and long-chain polyketides.

Marine natural products: synthetic aspects

An overview of marine natural products synthesis during 2005 is provided. In a similar vein to earlier installments in this series, the emphasis is on total syntheses of molecules of contemporary interest, new total syntheses, and syntheses that have resulted in structure confirmation or stereochemical assignments.